5 LinkedIn groups for PR pros

While you could argue many social networks meet these three needs adequately, I might argue that LinkedIn has the biggest potential to meet these needs best when it comes to professional skill-building, networking and job-seeking.

But, are folks capitalizing on that opportunity within LinkedIn now? Not so much.

I started to write this post about the 12 groups all PR people should be a member of, but after some initial research, I couldn’t identify 12 I could really recommend.

Most groups (some pretty reputable brands even) were chock full of SPAM–job postings and blatant self-promotion in the Discussions pane and overall, just a lack of effective community management within the group.

I was a bit disappointed. Like I said, a few of these groups were reputable, larger organizations. I was expecting a little more.

But, there were a few groups doing it right. And, I most certainly would recommend joining the following post-haste if you haven’t already:

* PRSA-your local chapter (varies). Obviously, this one depends on your local chapter. Ours here in Minnesota is pretty active–and productive. In my view, it all depends on your local community.

* MarketingProfs (9,782 members). Even though this group doesn’t technically fall within the “PR” bucket, it’s a “must join” for any communicator or strategist. It’s one of the more active LinkedIn groups I’m a part of right now. For example a recent discussion around starting a Marketing 101 class solicited a whopping 204 comments!

* PR News Group (5,336 members). Fairly engaged group with relevant discussions to anyone who works in PR. Most recent–and popular discussions–include: “How to conduct PR without an agency”, “Wikileaks is the Facebook of whistle-blowing” and “Have you ever tried the press release distribution services?”

* HAPPO (1,099 members). Jobs are the focus, but this group is about much more than just the search. And, with another HAPPO event coming up early next year, this group may be on the rise. Recent conversations have focused on: salary requirements, what employers want to see in an entry-level portfolio and the best free software to create an online portfolio. (Disclaimer: I am the co-founder of HAPPO and one of the community managers of the site).

15 comments on “5 LinkedIn groups for PR pros”

Thanks for these tips! I work in social media at a marketing firm, and find myself wishing I had more PR background (now that engagement on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc. is blurring the lines of what is marketing, what is PR, what is customer service….). I’ve had the same problem you mention about finding groups that aren’t all spammy, but actually have helpful discussions. Based on your recommendations, I’ve already joined some of these groups! Thanks again.

Great collection of helpful groups. Only advise I would add is to join more specialized PR groups. They can (don’t have to) be less crowded and more on point if you’re looking for specialized discussions or people. I’m, for example, a member of a group called “Tech PR” that helped me connect with a few important professionals in my industry.

Arik, Good list and thanks for the MarketingProfs recommendation, I will check it out. Like you mentioned, the value you’ll get from joining any LinkedIn group will usually vary per two things: 1) the activity of the group itself, if it’s all spam and job seekers and self promotion vs. substantive discussions and 2) the amount of time you put into it (like all social media IMO). Checking out my groups, sharing more content with them, participating in more conversations always seems to be on my to-do list, yet rarely makes the got-done list. I gotta work on that for 2011, FWIW.

Benefits: Networking and opportunity to develop skill sets you might not currently have. Disadvantage: I tend to think membership fees are a little steep considering what you get in return. Everyone needs to evaluate that for themselves though.